


A Stillness in the Rain

by NedrynWrites



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Heart Event rewrite, Hurt/Comfort, It sounds a lot scarier than it actually is I promise, Minor Injuries, Mutual Pining, Namely Abigail's four heart event, Pining Female Player, it kinda follows it but only super loosely, minor blood, the kitten is the hero of the story tbh, this became a multichapter fic when did that happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 11:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11485908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NedrynWrites/pseuds/NedrynWrites
Summary: Lista stumbled out of the mines.  She didn't have any broken bones or major wounds, but her skin was littered in nasty-looking scratches and was tender and pink on her stomach and back where she was hit by a stone golem and thrown into a wall.  She was going to be black and blue in a day or two.  She walked out into the heavy summer storm to rinse off the blood.As she was dipping her foot into the river to clean out a particularly nasty cut, Lista heard the low music of a wooden flute over the rain.  It was faint through the noise, but clear.  The song sounded as if it was made for the rain.Alternatively:"I don't think I can do anything straight when it's you..." Lista muttered under her breath, too low for Abigail to hear.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I recently started playing Stardew Valley and I learned exactly 3 (three) things about Abigail and fell madly in love with her so... this happened.  This was gonna be sort of a re-write of the 4 Heart Event in a way that was a little more accurate to what was happening to me in-game at the time and then... I got a little carried away.
> 
> I'm really sorry if this is crappy.  I wrote this half-dead from lack of sleep on a 12-hour car ride, and it's the first time I wrote Abigail, so... don't expect anything incredible, ahaha...

Lista stumbled out of the mines.  She didn't have any broken bones or major wounds, but her skin was littered in nasty-looking scratches and was tender and pink on her stomach and back where she was hit by a stone golem and thrown into a wall.  She was going to be black and blue in a day or two.  She walked out into the heavy summer storm to rinse off the blood.

 

As she was dipping her foot into the river to clean out a particularly nasty cut, Lista heard the low music of a wooden flute over the rain.  It was faint through the noise, but clear.  The song sounded as if it was made for the rain.

Lista shook the river water off her foot and wrapped it in a strip of wool cloth, deciding to dress it properly when she got home.  Wincing, she put her bloody, torn, and now soggy sock back on and struggled her boot back over it and made her way toward where the music was coming from.

As she drew closer, Lista saw Abigail with the wooden flute held comfortably up to her mouth, swaying to the rhythm of the song.  She appeared to be completely wrapped up in the melody.  Lista debated leaving Abigail alone, but found herself being drawn in by the music.  Before being able to make a decision of her own, she ended up standing just outside of the tree's shelter.

Upon noticing her audience, Abigail stopped playing abruptly.  She seemed a little embarrassed, and looked like she was about to ask Lista to leave before noticing the battered state of the seemingly-peaceful young woman.

"Ohmygod you're bleeding!  What are you doing out in the rain?!" she yelped, fretting over Lista and pulling her into the shelter under the tree.

"Just, uh, enjoying the weather," Lista said sheepishly.  She wasn't sure about how her new friend felt about willingly endangering oneself in the monster-infested mines, and didn't want to risk Abigail seeing her as violent or a careless adrenaline junkie.  "I slipped and fell on some sharp rocks by the mine entrance.  Uh, a few times." 

Then again, looking like a total clutz may be worse.  Panicking, Lista looked up to try to read Abigail's reaction, but she was already digging furiously through her backpack.  Before Lista could find the proper words to ask what she was doing without sounding rude or defensive, Abigail was pulling out a rather hefty first-aid kit.

"Mom makes me take this everywhere in case I go and fall into a blackberry bush or something," she explained as she pulled out some Joja brand triple antibiotic cream and actual, proper bandages.  "I swear, it's like she thinks I'm a little kid or something.  Not that... not that I think you're a little kid for falling!  I just..." she trailed off, looking mortified and immediately focused entirely on uncapping the antibiotic and carefully setting the bandages on a dry spot on her backpack.

Despite the slip-up, Lista felt relieved.  Abigail didn't seem to think any less of her for "being clumsy."  It was technically true, but certainly not to that extent.

"-way?" she was asking.

"Huh?" Lista said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You, uh, I don't have to!  I just thought-"

"Nonono, I'm sorry.  I zoned out there for a second, I'm sorry.  What did you say?"

"Oh!" Abigail relaxed a little.  "I was just saying that I was gonna dress your cuts.  Uh.  If that's okay?"

Lista nodded, and Abigail continued.  "And I was wondering if I could move your shirt, uh, sleeves, out of the way?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Lista said, and pushed her sleeves up over her shoulders, careful to not brush the narrow claw marks left on her arms by a swarm of particularly excited bats.  While Lista pulled up her sleeves, Abigail had gotten up and was soaking a clean handkerchief with the warm summer rain when Lista looked up.

Deeming the cloth satisfactory, Abigail turned back and sat down much closer than before.  Lista blushed slightly, hoping that it was dark enough with the weather and shade that Abigail didn't notice, but she didn't need to worry.  Abigail was analyzing the cuts on her arms with a focus that Lista was almost jealous of.  Not taking her gaze away, she pulled on a pair of disposable gloves.

"Okay, I'm just gonna..." Abigail paused, then gingerly took Lista's left arm and began cleaning the grime and dried blood out of the scratches.  Lista winced.  Abigail was trying to be gentle, but the sores were still tender and she seemed to only have the loosest of grasps on the meaning of "careful."  Lista hissed in pain as a bit of gravel, likely wedged in when she was thrown against the wall, was scrubbed out.

"Sorry," Abigail murmured.  She shook the gravel as well as a bit of dirt and blood out of the handkerchief and gently dabbed at the area with it.  Lista gritted her teeth, but refused to make another noise.

"You okay?" Abigail asked, just as low.  She gently traced her gloved fingers across the uninjured part of Lista's arm in a soothing way.  Lista nodded, not trusting herself to speak without squeaking in pain or saying something stupid about Abigail's gorgeous purple hair.  Abigail smiled, sweet but awkward, and stood.  She rinsed out the handkerchief in the rain and sat back down to start on the other arm.

"Um..." Lista started, then hesitated.

"Hm?"

"Oh, uh.  What are you doing out here in the rain, anyway?  If you don't mind me asking."

Abigail shrugged.  "I needed to get away for a while.  Away from my... well.  I just wanted some time alone."  Lista must have let the worry show on her face, because Abigail quickly elaborated.

"I don't mind you being here!" she said, a little too loudly, accidentally digging the cloth into Lista's arm, causing a surprised yelp of pain.  "Crap, sorry!"

"It's fine," Lista said, proud of herself for keeping her voice even.  Abigail fussed for a minute more before finally finishing up on the arm.

"All right," Abigail started, standing up to rinse out the handkerchief one more time, "so, I'm gonna need to put the antibiotic cream on your cuts to, um," she wrung the water out of the handkerchief and hung it on a low-hanging branch, "to keep them from getting infected, or something.  Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine.  Do whatever you need."  Lista said.  "Thank you for this."

"No problem!  You're not allergic to this brand, are you?" Abigail asked, holding out the tube so Lista could see.  "I don't want... Oh, crap!  You aren't allergic to latex, are you?  I didn't think, I totally forgot!"

"No, no!  Abigail, it's fine."  Lista put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.  "I'm not allergic to latex.  I would have told you right when I saw you putting those gloves on if I was."  She gave Abigail's shoulder a quick pat before quickly taking her arm back.

"Okay... okay.  Oh, what about the antibiotic?"

Lista squinted at the tube for a second and said, "I don't think so.  I'm not majorly allergic to anything I know of, so it should be fine."

Abigail seemed to accept that.  "All right.  Let me know if it stings or anything."  Lista nodded, and Abigail squeezed a generous amount of the cream over her finger and started carefully working it over Lista's scrapes.

They stayed quiet for a while.  Abigail moved slowly and deliberately, making sure to not miss any spots and double-checking the worst bits to make sure they were cleaned properly.  Her face scrunched up adorably in concentration and Lista found herself thinking, _this is it, this is how I die._

"How," Lista's voice squeaked horribly and she cleared her throat quickly to cover it up, looking away as she did so, "How long have you been playing music?"

Abigail's hands paused briefly as she thought about her answer.  "Probably... I think since I was about ten or so?" she said, continuing with her task where she left off.  "Mom really wanted me to learn an instrument, so she had me choose one.  Though, lately it's been more of an escape from, well..."

Lista looked back at her and prompted, "Well...?"  Abigail looked uncomfortable, so she quickly backtracked.  "You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable.  We can talk about something else if you want."

Abigail looked relieved.  "Thank you," she said.  "And I mean it's not a big secret or anything, I just, and it's not really anything bad, but, -"

"I understand.  It's fine.  Like I said, I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Lista said.  Abigail gave her a small smile before finishing up on the last of the scratches.

"Okay, I'm going to bandage you up now," she said, capping the antibiotic and reaching for the bandages.  "I know you said you aren't allergic to anything, but just to be sure..." she didn't finish the sentence, and instead held out the roll.

"Oh, that's fine.  I use that brand a lot," Lista said.

Abigail snorted at that.  "I'm starting to think we need to childproof your farm so you don't get hurt so much."

Before Abigail got the chance to second-guess the harsh way that came out, Lista was doubled over laughing so hard her sides were hurting, quickly turning into groaning in pain in the same position as the laughter upset her bruises.

"Whoah, are you okay?  What happened?"  Abigail asked, the hand not holding the bandages coming up instinctively only to hover awkwardly in front of her.

"I don't... I guess I took a pretty bad hit to my stomach," Lista said when she recovered.  She ran her hands down her ribs.  "I might have bruised a rib or two.

"Is that serious?  It's just a bruise, right?  But those are your bones.  That sounds serious."

Lista shrugged.  "They're not broken, but I'm gonna need to get some ice on them when I get home." 

Abigail still looked worried, so Lista tried to reassure her.  "I'm gonna have to take it easy for a few, well, several days, but as long as I ice it and don't go for any more ridiculous hikes through slippery mountain trails, I'll be fine.  Don't worry, I'll go home and get ice on it just as soon as you're done with the bandages."

"If you're sure.  I'll try and finish it quickly, then," Abigail said, unrolling the bandage cloth.  "You gotta promise to go straight home though."

"I don't think I can do anything straight when it's you..." Lista muttered under her breath, too low for Abigail to hear.

"What's that?"

"Nothing!  I said, uh, yeah, just as soon as I fix my shoe."

"Your... oh," Abigail gasped, noticing the bloody gash cutting through Lista's shoe all the way to the awkwardly-wrapped injury underneath.  "Can you even fix that here?  Do you have sewing supplies or something?"

"No.  Nope.  I don't know why I said that!" Lista laughed, a little too loudly, and prayed to anyone who might be listening that Abigail didn't notice.  "I won't make any stops on the way.  I promise.  I don't think upsetting my injuries and ending up in the hospital would make the farm nicer.  Don't worry about me."

"After today, I'm probably gonna be constantly worrying about you," she whined, measuring out the bandage.  Lista pouted and leaned back against the tree as Abigail cut the bandage and gestured for her to hold out her arm.  After a second of hesitation, she obliged.

"Let me know if this is too tight, okay?"  Abigail said, steadily beginning to wrap Lista's arm.  "I haven't had to treat an injury this big before, so I need to know if I'm messing up."

"Got it," Lista said with a nod.  After a moment, "Uh, a little looser at the elbow if you can.  Yeah, there you go."

Abigail finished down at the wrist then paused.  "Uh, how do I...  Do I just tuck it under, or..."

Lista blanched at the thought, remembering the bites around her wrist.  "If rather you didn't.  Do you have tape?"

"I don't know, uh," Abigail rummaged through the kit with one hand while the other held the bandage in place.  "Oh!  Here it is."

"Okay, I'll hold it in place, you tape it down?"  Lista offered, already reaching for the loose end and brushing Abigail's hand in the process.  Once she was holding it securely, Lista used her thumb to nudge at Abigail's palm, signaling that she had it held securely and Abigail could move.

"...Oh!  Yeah, I can do that."  Abigail finally moved her hand and switched the tape over to it so she could use her dominant hand to pull the tape.  Rather carelessly, she pulled a strand a little too long and tried to rip it, causing it to pull even longer.  Her ( _purple? how did I not notice this before?_ ) eyebrows drew together and her ( _plush, pink, how is that such a good color for her- oh my god, focus on literally anything else, Lista!_ ) lips pooched out in a little pout as she awkwardly folded it back down and used the scissors to cut the tape instead.

Lista forced her stare over the water before she started describing Abigail's eyes as "cerulean orbs" like a preteen writing fanfiction for the first time and - _oh my god they're literally cerulean nonONO we're looking away now_ \- she furiously dragged her scattered focus back to holding the bandage in place, only to realize that Abigail had already finished and was staring at her expectantly.  Lista coughed awkwardly.

"...Ah, I zoned out there for a second.  Did you say something?" 

"No, sorry.  You got really red there for a second.  I was worrying that you were having a late allergic reaction to the antibiotic," Abigail said.  "When my dad gets too close to a cat, he gets really red and starts coughing a few seconds later, so, uh-"

"No, I'm fine.  I just... Uh, I thought about... I remembered something embarrassing that happened to me a few years ago."

"I see.  Care to share?"  Abigail asked with a smirk.

"I think I'll keep it to myself a little while longer," Lista said with an awkward laugh.

Abigail leaned forward, impossibly close, wearing a sly smirk.  "I will find out one of these days," she whispered, and Lista was sure she resembled a ripe tomato by this point.

Quickly, Abigail leaned back out of Lista's bubble.  Giggling sheepishly, she said, "Really, though, you don't have to tell me.  I'm not gonna force you if it makes you feel bad or something.  Let's finish that other arm, shall we?"  Lista nodded mutely.

They repeated the process on the other arm, much more easily now that they had more of an idea of how to work around each other.  As Abigail was taping off the last bit of it, she glanced over the rest of Lista's body.  While the arms were the worst, there were still little scratches all over, some still fresh and glistening morbidly.

"Do you want me to dress the rest of it?"  Abigail asked hesitantly.  It looked like she wanted to help more, but didn't want to step over any boundaries.  Lista thought to her stretch marks, her scars, the little rolls of fat that refused to go away despite constant physical labor, and felt a wave of self-consciousness nearly bowl her over. 

"Nah," she said.  "They're better covered by my clothes than my arms were, and they're not that bad.  I'll just clean them up when I get home."

"All right," Abigail said, packing her stuff and standing.  "Let me help you get home, then."

"That's really not-" Lista cut herself off as she saw Abigail's challenging glare.  "Yeah, okay.  Thank you."

Abigail smirked victoriously and threw her backpack over her shoulder.  "Do you need help up?"

"Nah, I got it.  Ribs, remember?  Oh, don't forget your flute."

"Ah, right, thanks," Abigail said.  "Oh, hey, do you play any instruments?"

Lista stood, cringing at the pain in her _everything_ as she went.  She gingerly put her backpack on and said, "Yeah.  I've got a mini harp back at home, actually."

Abigail lit up.  "That piece I was playing earlier has an accompaniment part that sounds great on the mini harp.  We should totally play together sometime!"

"Yeah," Lista smiled softly, walking out into the rain.  "I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 4 Heart Event made me gay
> 
> Please leave a comment, and feel free to tell me what you liked and what was terrible! Just... please be nice about it. I'm sensitive.
> 
> I might continue this at some point if there's any interest. I kind of have an idea of where I can go from here (and it breaks away from the heart events so if this is anything like the Harvest Moon fandom y'all probably appreciate that) so just let me know. ^.^
> 
> Update 9/19/17: I've finished writing chapter 2, and I'm getting ready to send it to my sister-in-law *cough* I mean beta reader! It should be up in about a week. Thank you for all your lovely comments. You guys are amazing. :')


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your kitten’s so cuddly!” she cooed, scratching his chin. “What’s its name?”  
> “Sashimi. And he’s a little turd,” Lista said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧  
> Thank you guys so much for your sweet comments. Y'all are the best. Seriously.
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my fluffy kitten, who was a pillar of strength for me when I went through major writing blocks. We're just gonna pretend that he was being cuddly to support me and not trying to get extra food ‘cause he thought I didn't know that my partner already fed him.

Despite Lista’s injuries forcing her and Abigail to stop every once in a while, the two of them eventually made it back to the farm.  Lista’s chest was heaving with the effort, and it hurt.  Badly.  The path leading to the house was somewhat overgrown, despite Lista trying to keep it trimmed back.  Abigail had to help Lista through some of the rougher patches.  A hand to keep her balanced as she stepped over an uneven patch here, an arm thrown around her back to steady her as she tripped over a fallen branch there.  Lista had to lean heavily on the shorter woman as they made their way around a huge puddle.  By the end of it, Lista’s heart was pounding for more reasons than exertion alone.

Finally, but not before a great deal of embarrassment on Lista’s part, they made it out of the forested area.  Abigail was hauling Lista’s exhausted ass up the steps when a little orange creature raced past.  The kitten nearly bowled Lista over in his excitement.

Abigail finished dragging Lista up to the deck before immediately ditching her in favor of the cat.  Lista dug around in her pockets trying to remember where she put her keys.  When she looked up, keys fortunately in hand, she found Abigail sitting with a purring mess of a kitten in her lap.

“Your kitten’s so cuddly!” she cooed, scratching his chin.  “What’s its name?”

“Sashimi.  And he’s a little turd,” Lista said.  She unlocked the door and pocketed the keys. “You wanna come in?”

“Sure.” Abigail stood, scooping up the cat as she did.  She then paused. “Uh, is he allowed inside?”

“If he wasn’t, he’d find a way anyway.” Lista held open the door.  The screen door had a mean spring on it, and she had whacked herself with it a few times. “I’ve accidentally locked him outside at night a few times before.  Every time it happens, I wake up with his butt in my face.”

Abigail barked out a laugh and walked in, towing a happy Sashimi along. “I wish I had a cat.  Dad’s allergies are so bad he puffs up like a blowfish even if there’s one on the other side of the house.”

Lista followed into the house and closed the door behind her.  She was relieved that it was pretty clean; it helped that she didn’t really own all that much.  A worn old couch sat against the wall opposite the front door, directly underneath a window.  The window had no curtains, and the sill was Sashimi’s favorite spot, hidden just below the top of the couch.

“I snuck one into my room when I was really little,” Abigail continued, setting her backpack down on the floor with the hand that wasn’t full of cat. “Dad had such a bad allergic reaction that we had to close the store for the day and rush him to Harvey’s.” She cradled Sashimi close to her chest and sat down on the sofa with him.  He immediately started making himself comfortable on her lap. 

“That really sucks.  I don’t think I could have gone through half of what I did if I didn’t always have a pet,” Lista said, walking to the fridge.  She struggled against the heavy seal on the freezer for a moment before opening it and pulling out a bag of frozen peas. “I mean, I didn’t… it’s not like I had a bad life or anything, I just had some rough patches.  Having someone who’s always there for you, no matter what, and won’t judge you for making bad decisions is really… you know, it’s really nice to have.” She sat next to Abigail on the couch and glared at Sashimi, who was smugly soaking up all the attention he could get. “Even if he is a butt sometimes.”

“Yeah, I get that.  I have a guinea pig.” Lista shifted and set the bag of frozen peas over her bruised ribs as Abigail continued. “David Jr. is really sweet, but he doesn’t do much other than squeak and act like my room’s… uh, some amazing place to explore, like the jungle or something, every time I let him out.”

Sashimi flopped his head back against Abigail’s chest and gazed up at her as if she hung the moon.  She giggled and pet his head, causing him to purr loudly and squeeze his eyes closed. “I’m worried that he gets lonely,” she said, running her hand down the kitten’s back. “Guinea pigs are supposed to be social, but my parents won’t let me get another one.  I end up spending a lot of time just hanging out in my room with him, playing video games or whatever.”

“I’m surprised I didn’t see him when I was there,” Lista said.

“Oh, yeah.  He usually sleeps a lot in the mornings.  His cage is in a pretty quiet corner of my room, so you probably just looked right over it.”

“Yeah, probably.  I guess…” Lista winced as the cold of the frozen peas started to burn through her shirt.  She fought down the urge to move it off. “I guess I’m not very observant.”

“To be fair, I did drag you off with no warning and force you to help me with Prairie King.  I don’t think you really got a chance to look around.”

Lista chuckled. “I should have told you that I didn’t know how to play.  Didn’t we lose that game in like, ten seconds?”

Abigail huffed indignantly, jostling Sashimi a little.  A flustered blush dusted her cheeks. “I could have sworn we lasted at least thirty.” Sashimi looked confused for a moment before shuffling back into a comfortable position. “Besides, you were almost as good as I was, like, right off the bat.  If you got as much practice as I have, you would have beaten the whole game by now.”

“I think you’re remembering it wrong.  I lost  _ all _ of our lives.” Lista scooted forward in her seat and leaned back so the frozen peas could stay in the right spot without being held.  She flinched as a little spike of pain shot through her chest.  Now that the adrenaline of being in the mines and what happened after had worn off, she was definitely feeling the extent of her cuts and bruises. “Hey, did you ever finish that level, by the way?”

Abigail threw a curl over her shoulder, smirking, then her smirk grew into a bright grin. “I sure did.  It took me  _ two weeks, _ but I did,” she said.  Her smile turned sheepish. “I kinda got insta-killed at the start of level two, though.”

Lista let out a snort. “Have you not gotten past that, then?”

Abigail groaned. “No, and I can only get to that level like, once every several tries now.” She paused, then looked to Lista with a hopeful expression. “Hey, you should come to Stardrop with us one of these Fridays and practice with me!”

Lista froze up.  That sounded like… a lot of people.  But Abigail seemed to have a similar personality to Lista, and if that “us” she mentioned were friends of hers, surely they weren’t so bad.  

“If you don’t mind my company,” Lista decided, “then I would like that.”

“Of course I wouldn’t mind!  I”m just sorry I took so long to invite you with us,” Abigail said. “You seem lonely.   Uh, if you don’t mind me saying so.  It’s totally fine if you prefer to keep to yourself or, or whatever, I’m sorry for assuming-”

“Abigail.”

“Sorry!”

“No, sorry, it’s fine.  And you’re right, I  _ am _ lonely,” Lista admitted.  The only people she could really count as friends in this town were the Chandlers - that is, Abigail’s family - and Linus, who was a friend of her grandfather’s and had been around since Lista was little.  It had been four months since she moved to the valley.  She was too shy to take the initiative and talk to others on her own, but if Abigail was there, perhaps it would be easier to get to know some of the townsfolk her own age.

Lista sighed. “I’m not very good with people, so I’m just… nervous, I guess.”

Abigail visibly relaxed. “Then I really am sorry it took so long to invite you.” She stared at the floor, looking guilty. “I kept to myself a lot back in high school before Sam and Sebastian just kinda… adopted me.  But before that, I was really nervous about getting too close to people.  Like, I knew logically that nobody was out to get me, but emotionally, I was really worried that people secretly didn’t want me around and were always trying to exclude me or… or something.  I guess I’m still a little bit like that, in a way.” 

She sighed and leaned against her elbow on the arm of the couch, running her fingers through Sashimi’s fur.  He had somehow fallen asleep despite all the movement and talking. “I guess part of me still worries that they don’t want me around.  Like, they’re just being polite or something.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t think they’re ‘just being polite,’” Lista said. “I think you’re really nice to be around.  Uh, sorry, was that weird to say?”

Abigail giggled. “Not at all.  And thank you.”

Lista flushed. “I won’t be able to… uh, able to go this Friday, probably.  Not with,” she gestured to her stomach, “this.  I should be good enough by next Friday, though.  I heal pretty quick if I get enough rest.”

“I’ll let you get to it, then,” Abigail said, standing with Sashimi in her arms, startling him awake.  She set him on the floor, far gentler than any cat would probably need.  Even still, he glared at her with betrayal in his eyes.

“I don’t mind you being here,” Lista said, a little too quickly.

Abigail gave her an apologetic smile. “I actually promised Mom I would help with dinner.  I’m…” she checked her digital watch and her eyes widened. “I was supposed to be there an hour ago.  Oops.”

Lista hoped that the disappointment didn’t show on her face.  She  _ really _ didn’t want to come off as clingy. “All right,” she said. “I’ll see you later then?” She meant it as a generic, friendly goodbye, but it came out as a hopeful question.

“Yeah, sure.  If you want, I can come back by here and keep you company… uh, what’s today again?”

“Monday, I think.” Sashimi decided then that he had scowled at Abigail long enough and jumped back onto the couch.  He shuffled up as close to Lista as he could get and laid his chin over her leg.

Abigail looked at her watch again. “Oh.  Yeah, Monday.” She stepped back toward the door. “So I’ll come by here sometime this week.  If you want.  Wednesday afternoon maybe?  I’ll have to leave around five.”

“That works for me.”

“Okay, cool.  I’ll see you then.” Abigail took a few awkward steps backward.  She gave a cute little wave. “Goodbye!”

“Bye,” Lista said.  Abigail turned and left, shooting a dorky smile over her shoulder before closing the door behind her.

 

Lista groaned and laid her head back against the cushions.  Did she come off as too needy?  Panic rose in her chest as she thought of how lonely she presented herself as.  Sharp pain shot through her chest as her breathing increased, her teeth grinding at the feeling of her lungs being constricted by her bruised ribs. 

Sashimi seemed to decide that he had enough of his weird, two-legged roommate’s low self-esteem.  He butted his head against her hand once, then twice, flopping his ears down with the force of the second try.  He let out a rolling mew to finally get Lista’s attention.  Once he had it, he set his paws on her hip and stared up at her with his big, big eyes.  Now sure that he had her attention, he rolled his head into her shoulder, then repeated the movement down her arm, avoiding the bag of frozen peas all the while.  He ended up curling up over her wrist.  As he got comfortable, he let out little grunts between purrs.

Lista slowly relaxed.   _ Even if I did make her uncomfortable, it’s not like I ruined our friendship or anything, _ she reasoned to herself.   _ Besides, she  _ did  _ promise to come over Wednesday.  I bet I can fix it then.  Maybe mention how bored I am staying at home doing nothing all day?   _ Lista sighed and laid a hand on Sashimi’s warm shoulders.   _ I'm really getting worked up over nothing.  She probably doesn't think anything of it. _

Sashimi let out a soft, rolling meow.  Lista smiled at him, rubbing her thumb against the back of his head. “Thank you,” she murmured. 

As if he understood, Sashimi purred louder.  

The panic didn't go away fully.  It never did right away.  Lista knew from experience that she’d likely re-live at least a few more obscure moments from the conversation when she finally got into the shower.  But for now, she would let her mind ignore her insecurities.  For now, she could simply relax and enjoy her kitten’s company.

* * *

 

Lista wished she could spend longer sitting like that, but she needed to dress her injuries properly.  She began to shift to get up.  Sashimi sensed the slight change in position and hopped to the ground.  He looked up at her expectantly, so she got off the couch -- albeit rather slowly and painfully -- before taking the bag of peas and returning it to the freezer.

Sashimi continued to follow Lista around as she picked up the bandaging supplies from the kitchen.  When she turned the corner and headed to the bathroom, he realized that he wouldn't be getting any more pats for a while.  He sat down and looked up at her with stern eyes, as if saying,  _ Hurry up in there.  I expect more attention than that.  _  The door clicked behind her.

Lista braced herself over the sink with a sigh.  Her grey-blue eyes met the more faded ones in the dirty mirror, and her reflection seemed to encourage her to go on.  She steeled herself and straightened.  Still bracing one hand on the edge of the sink, she reached up with the other and pulled the ponytail out of the long side of her sweat-slick hair.  Dark purple clumps of hair were tugged with the band, and she took a moment to gawk at the color.  Even though she had dyed it months ago and it was now fading back to her natural dark brunette, she still wasn’t used to having a hair color that wasn’t her own.

Lista dropped the band in a drawer under the sink, trading it for a hairbrush.  Several bristles were missing on the brush, but it still got the job done.  It wasn’t as if she could run over to the store and get new supplies to replace what was only slightly damaged, after all.  Not with how slow progress was going on her farm.  She wouldn’t be able to afford to feed herself and her cat for another year if this year’s harvest was a bust.  Perhaps her mother was right.  Maybe she made a mistake in coming out to the valley.  After all, she had a nice cushy job in the city.  It had practically been handed to her.  All she had to do was find a new apartment, far away from her ex-fiancé…

Lista’s eyes snapped to her reflection in the mirror.  She glared at herself.   _ You can do this.  You’re capable.  Grandfather believed in you, so you need to believe in yourself,  _ she admonished herself.  That job in the city was soul-sucking.  Everything in that city was soul-sucking.  Lista tore the brush through her hair with way more force than necessary, tearing out even more hair.  At this rate, she would rip out so much that it would look like the other half, which was shaved to the scalp a few months before leaving, and still very short.  She forced herself to take a deep breath, painful though it was with the bruised ribs.  She refused to think about it any more.  

After her hair was brushed, Lista struggled out of her clothes.  She got rid of the boots first.  They had already been torn in several places by the harsh vegetation in the forest on her farm, and were made of a sturdy, waterproof material.  She figured that she could patch up the new gashes through them just as well as she had with the holes thorns had torn, and the blood should be able to wash off.

She was grateful to her barely-awake 6 a.m. self for putting on an oversized tee shirt, making it much easier to get off around her injuries.  Bloody slashes cut through several parts of the dark blue fabric, and the hair band she had used to tie it so it hugged her waist was probably lying on the ground deep in the mines.  She sighed as she examined the ruined shirt.  It had been one of her favorites.  It was a size or two too big, so it hung well away from her armpits and wouldn’t collect much sweat, a dark enough color that the sweat it did absorb wouldn’t show up easily, and the sleeves hung down just above her elbows.  She usually rolled the sleeves up while she was working, but on the rare occasion that she went into town, she could roll them down and cover up her embarrassing farmer’s tan.

Lista quickly started filling the sink with warm water and threw the shirt in.  She didn’t know much about cleaning blood out of fabric, but she could probably sew the shirt well enough for a few more uses if she could get the blood out.  There wasn’t a clothing store in town, and she didn't want to waste time or money getting transportation to the city. The only place in town that sold any clothing was JojaMart, and she was reluctant to give the corporation any of her business after what the manager had done to Pierre.

She struggled out of her jeans.  This was much more difficult than with the shirt, as the denim hugged closely to her skin.  She had gotten loose sweatpants caught on briars while clearing out the farm one too many times, and had worn form-fitting pants made of sturdy fabric from then on.  She knew that the monsters in the cave would have gotten her legs even worse if she had worn sweatpants, but at this moment, struggling the fabric over her stinging skin, she wished that she had.  After finally getting the jeans off, those were thrown into the sink as well.

Lista carefully unwound the bandages on her arms, grinding her teeth or letting out a soft hiss every time they stuck to tender skin.  She tossed them into the trash, a cheap paper bag that her groceries were packed in when she went to Pierre’s.  The bag was getting ragged and kind of gross, but she had another week at least before she made another ramen run, as she had begun calling her trips to buy cheap ingredients in bulk.  She would make due with using the paper bag to transfer her bathroom trash into the bin outside for now.

After slipping out of the rest of her clothing, Lista stepped onto the cold tile floor of the shower.

* * *

 

The evening found Lista, freshly cleaned and covered in new bandages, slouched on the couch.  A book sat open at her feet.  Several pages had been turned when it tumbled off her lap as she dozed off.  She had thrown a towel over the back of it to prevent her wet hair from soaking the cushions, but this had done nothing for her pajama shirt, which had grown damp.  She had wrapped the frozen peas in a hand towel and tucked it under her shirt to keep ice on her ribs.  A pillow was cuddled to her chest, and she had partially ducked her face into it.  The light of the tv and the digital clock telling that it was late evening were the only things illuminating the room.  All that could be heard was Lista’s muffled snoring, the weather channel tracking the ongoing storm, and the soft pattering of rain against the window.

Lista woke to the feeling of a small, fluffy body curling up against her.  She blinked in the dim light, trying to clear the sleepy blur from her eyes.  Sashimi was kneading insistently at her thigh, staring right into her eyes.

Lista had been with the cat long enough to know that this wasn’t his companionship cuddle.  He wasn’t cuddling with her because he wanted to fall asleep with his favorite human.  This was his  _ It’s time for my supper, and I’m being as cute and needy as possible because I think you’ll feed me if I’m cute enough _ cuddle.  Lista groaned as she sat up.  Sashimi made room for her to move, but didn’t get up quite yet, as Lista had started scratching between his ears.  He closed his eyes happily and shoved his head against her side, digging his claws into her pajama pants.

They sat like that for some time.  Sashimi was patient, and would let his human have all the time she needed to wake up as long as he got fed at the end of it.  When the petting slowed, however, he wiggled out from under her arm and jumped down.

“All right, all right,” Lista said, setting the pillow and frozen peas aside.  She had barely even managed to stand before Sashimi was scrambling off to the cabinet where his food was kept.  He turned back to her and meowed loudly, and kept meowing until the food was in is bowl.

Instead of diving right into his food like he usually did, Sashimi stopped and stared at it, then looked up at Lista.  He meowed again, and then walked over to the fridge.  Lista rolled her eyes, used to the cat acting weird, and started heading back to the couch.

Sashimi pounced at Lista’s leg, wrapping both paws around it.  He kept his claws in, and jumped away meowing as soon as he had her attention.  He walked to the fridge again.  By the way he was leading her, he seemed to be pretty upset about something in there.  It wasn’t until she opened it and her stomach gave a weak gurgle that Lista realized what he was trying to say.  She hadn’t eaten since that morning.

With some difficulty, Lista crouched to give Sashimi a pat on the head.  He walked back to the food bowl, and kept staring at her until she began to rummage through the kitchen for food.  Satisfied that he had made sure his human would take care of herself, he dove into his own dinner.

Done with her duties for the day, Lista went back to sleep on the couch.  She needed to stay at least a little upright with her ribs the way they were, so she positioned pillows at both sides to help keep herself propped up.  

* * *

 

Lista woke the next morning to the muffled sound of her alarm clock coming from the bedroom.  She opened her eyes, feeling especially groggy.  She rarely slept before midnight, usually trying to fit so much work into each day that six hours of sleep was the most she usually got.

She stood to start her day, more out of habit than necessity.  Sashimi tumbled to the ground with an indignant squawk, with the last part of the sound muffled when the pillow fell on top of him.  In her half-asleep state, Lista didn’t notice the lukewarm bag of peas fall out of her shirt on the way to the bedroom until she nearly tripped over it.

The rain continued as Lista grabbed breakfast for herself and Sashimi.  She was relieved that she wouldn’t have to struggle with moving the lawn sprinkler through her garden that day, but she had meant to check for weeds and potato bugs.  With the rain and her injuries, doing so would be difficult, if not impossible.  Lista resigned herself to a day of reading inside.

Lista sat at the table and stared blankly out the window, munching on her toast.  Sashimi, apparently a much faster eater, hopped onto her lap.  He didn’t seem too worried about getting fur into Lista’s food, but a few nudges with the elbows moved him a safe distance from it.  He curled up on her lap, content and full, and gently bumped his head against her stomach.

Lista finished off the last of her food and wrapped her arms around the warm fluffball in her lap.  Sashimi purred and petted his own face on her chin.  With a smile, Lista scratched him between the ears.  

How long had it been since she had gotten to just relax like this?  Between the farm, combat lessons with Marlon, and the frequent trips into the caves to get some extra pocket money through the Adventurer’s Guild, she had hardly any down time.  What little she had was almost always spent reading up on new fighting techniques and better ways to mend herself when she inevitably came back from the mines battered and bruised.  Sure, she occasionally took time to chat with the townsfolk, and always left herself more time than necessary on her grocery runs to chat with Abigail, but it was still fairly rare.

Lista stood with Sashimi in her arms and made her way over to curl up on the couch.  She flipped through all of two channels her TV was getting that day.  She finally decided on listening to an elder, almost completely hidden by a foggy glass orb, drone on and on about spirits and luck.

Boring as it was, Lista felt the stress of months filled with nonstop working begin to melt away.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were just supposed to talk about light stuff and then Abigail was gonna leave with the promise that she was gonna be back to see Sashimi (and Lista, of course!) but they were just like “lol no we’re gonna have a deep discussion about our insecurities” what the heck happened. These people just write themselves I swear.
> 
> Nearly everything the cat did in this chapter was mirrored by my real-life cat, who was confused as to why I was so focused on my light-box instead of focusing on the light of my life. Him, of course.
> 
> Also a big thank-you to my sister-in-law, as well as my two super awesome friends, for reading through this and telling me it wasn't garbage and helping me make it less garbage! ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! p l e a s e v a l i d a t e m e


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